Method and device for comparing personal biological data of two users

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method of comparing one or more genetic traits of two users. Each user has a wearable device storing data indicative of the one or more genetic traits, the data having been obtained by an analysis of a biological sample provided by the user. The method comprises: transmitting the data indicative of the one or more genetic traits from a first of the wearable devices to a first computer device using a short-range wireless data connection; transmitting the data from the first computer device to a second computer device over a data network; transmitting the data from the second computer device to a second of the wearable devices over a short-range wireless data connection; and comparing the data from the first wearable device with the data stored on the second wearable device to determine whether there is a match between the users&#39; one or more genetic traits.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/146,919, filed on Jan. 12, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/733,630, filed on Jan. 3, 2020, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/043,709, filed onJul. 24, 2018, and is also a continuation-in-part of InternationalApplication No. PCT/GB2019/052069, filed on Jul. 24, 2019, the entirecontents of each being fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and wearable device forcomparing personal biological data of two users.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Semiconductor, nanotechnology and optical technologies have madesignificant contributions to people's lifestyle, especially byfacilitating hardware miniaturisation. Its application to the sequencingand genotyping industry has enabled so-called “lab-on-chip” systems.Depending on the biological questions/genes of interest,primer(s)/probe(s)—more generally referred to as “biomarkers”—aredesigned accordingly. A biomarker is an oligonucleotide such as a DNAmolecule and may target certain gene(s)/variation(s). A biomarker mayalternatively, for example, be an antibody or an antigen. Byapplying/choosing different types of biomarkers on such systems, acustomer can test his/her biological sample, DNA, RNA, protein etc,(extracted locally or remotely by a third party from e.g. saliva, blood,urine, tissue, stool, hair etc) for specific traits, possibly asdictated by certain lifestyle concerns or interest.

Such “personal” genetic or biological information enables medicaldecisions to be made more effectively, for example, by selectingtreatments or drug doses which are more likely to work for particularpatients. Identifying individual differences at a molecular level alsoallows lifestyle and dietary advice to be tailored according to theneeds of individuals or particular classes of individuals. For example,personal care products such as cosmetics, cosmeceuticals andnutraceuticals may be selected based on how effective these products arefor individuals having certain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) intheir DNA. A number of private companies have been created in order tocater for the growing consumer genetics market and every day new genetictraits are being described, generating a continuously expandingcatalogue of biomarkers that have the potential to offer insight intothe health, wellbeing, and, in the case of genetic variations,phenotype, of a great many people.

Whilst such “unlocking” of an individual's genetic data as describedabove may benefit the individual in many different ways, the abstractnature of the data may make it difficult for the individual toappreciate its value. For example, individuals may not feel that theyhave “ownership” of their data or they may feel they are unablethemselves to make use of their data because of its complexity orinaccessibility. Privacy concerns may also dissuade individuals frommaking use of their data.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,043,590B2 describes a wearable device for providingproduct recommendations based on a user's biological information, suchas genetic data. The wearable device incorporates a laser scanner orbarcode reader which the wearer of the device uses to identify a producthe or she is interested in purchasing or consuming. The device thenprovides an indication whether or not the product is recommended for thewearer based on his or her biological information. For example, ananalysis of a user's DNA may have revealed that the user metabolisescaffeine more slowly than most other people, in which case, the wearabledevice may recommend that he or she avoids coffee. Users of the wearabledevice described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,043,590B2 are, however, not easilyable to compare product recommendations or biological information withone another. Whilst two users may, for example, scan the same productand see whether or not the indication provided by their respectivewearable devices is the same, this process can be laborious and does notnecessarily allow users to identify which aspects of their biological orgenetic identities are different or which aspects they may have incommon. Users can of course discuss their biological information whilesimultaneously viewing the information on their smartphones.Nonetheless, a fast, almost instantaneous, method of comparinginformation is desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided acomputer-implemented method of comparing one or more genetic traits oftwo users. Each user has a wearable device storing data indicative ofthe one or more genetic traits, the data having been obtained by ananalysis of a biological sample provided by the user. The methodcomprises: transmitting the data indicative of the one or more genetictraits from a first of the wearable devices to a first computer deviceusing a short-range wireless data connection; transmitting the data fromthe first computer device to a second computer device over a datanetwork; transmitting the data from the second computer device to asecond of the wearable devices over a short-range wireless dataconnection; and comparing the data from the first wearable device withthe data stored on the second wearable device to determine whether thereis a match between the users' one or more genetic traits.

The method may further comprise operating an indicator at the secondwearable device and/or the second computer device to provide a visual,audio or other sensory indication of the result.

The data indicative of the one or more genetic traits may comprise dataindicative of nutrition- and/or skin-related genetic traits.

Each short-range wireless data connection may conform to a Bluetoothprotocol, preferably a Bluetooth Low Energy profile, or a near-fieldcommunication protocol.

Each short-range wireless data connection may be established bydetecting that the respective wearable device is within a predefineddistance of, or in contact with, the respective computer device,preferably wherein said predefined distance is less than 10 cm, or morepreferably, less than 5 cm.

Each wearable device may be a wrist-worn device and/or each computerdevice is a portable computer device, preferably a smartphone.

The method may comprise, at the first computer device, receiving aninvitation to compare one or more genetic traits with another user. Theinvitation may comprise data indicative of the one or more genetictraits of the other user. The invitation may be sent in response to oneof the users identifying the other user using an online search tool. Thedata transmitted from the first wearable device may be encrypted using apublic encryption key associated with or included in the invitation. Thesecond wearable device may store a corresponding private key fordecrypting data encrypted using the public key.

The method may comprise switching the first user device to a mode forestablishing a short-range wireless data connection with the firstwearable device in response to receiving user input indicative of theinvitation being accepted. The method may also comprise forming aconnection between the respective users in a social network in responseto receiving user input indicative of the invitation being accepted. Theuser may accept the invitation using the wearable device, preferably bypressing a button on the wearable device or performing a gesture usingthe wearable device.

The data may only be made available to the second wearable device if theone or more servers of the data network have received data indicative ofone or more genetic traits stored on the second wearable device.

The method may comprise, at either of the computer devices or wearabledevices, receiving a user selection of which one or more genetic traitsare to be compared.

The data from the first wearable device may be deleted from the secondwearable device after a predetermined time.

Each wearable device may store user activity data indicative of one ormore physiological and/or biochemical functions of the user, orindicative of a user environment. The method may further comprise, inresponse to determining that there is a match between the users' one ormore genetic traits, comparing the user activity data of the firstwearable device with the user activity data of second wearable device todetermine whether there is a match between the users' behaviours asindicated by the respective data.

Each wearable device may be configured to provide productrecommendations in respect of one or more consumable, topically appliedand/or body-worn products, the product recommendations being modulatedfor each user depending on the user activity data, and wherein thecompared user activity data comprises data indicative of one or moreproduct recommendations having been modulated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provideda computer-implemented method for authenticating a user of a computersystem. The method comprises, at the computer system: establishing ashort-range wireless data connection to a wearable device storing userdata obtained by an analysis of a biological sample provided by theuser; receiving authentication data from the wearable device over theshort-range wireless data connection, the authentication data beingderived using the user data; and authenticating the user by verifyingthat the received authentication data is derived from the user data.

Verifying that the received authentication data is derived from the userdata may comprise determining whether the received authentication datamatches corresponding authentication data stored by the computer system.

The user data may comprise data indicative of one or more genetictraits, preferably data indicative of nutrition- and/or skin-relatedgenetic traits.

The wearable device may be a wrist-worn device and/or the computerdevice may be a portable computer device, such as a smartphone.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided awearable device comprising a memory storing data associated with apersonal biology of a user, a short-range wireless transceiver forreceiving, from a peer wearable device, data associated with a personalbiology of a peer user, and a processor for comparing the received datawith the data stored in the memory in order to determine whether or notthere is a match. The device further comprises an indicator forgenerating a visual, audio or other sensory indication of a match whenthe data is determined to match.

The device may be operable to receive the data from a peer wearabledevice in response to detecting that the peer wearable device is withina predefined distance or is in contact. The step of detecting that theother wearable device is within a predefined distance of the wearabledevice may comprise detecting that the strength or quality of a signaltransmitted from the peer wearable device exceeds a predefined value.The transceiver may operate using Bluetooth protocol, preferably aBluetooth Low Energy profile, or a near-field communication protocol.The predefined distance may less than 10 cm, preferably less than 5 cm,or possibly less than 0.5 cm.

The indicator may be configured to generate a visual, audio or othersensory indication of a non-match when the data does not match.

The data associated with a personal biology of a user may comprise oneor more scores, the or each score indicating whether the user ispredisposed to or has an associated personal behaviour or condition. Byway of example, the data may indicate a user's ability to metabolisecaffeine, his or her sensitivity to calories and carbohydrates etc, allof which characteristics are derivable from an analysis of certain partsof the user's genetics.

The wearable device is a wrist-worn device, e.g. comprising a wristbandor wrist strap.

The transceiver may be configured to transmit the data associated with apersonal biology of a user stored in said memory, to the peer device, inresponse to detecting that the peer device is within a predefineddistance or in contact.

The wearable device may comprise a sensor, such as an accelerometer, fordetecting a user input or gesture. The device is configured upondetection of such an input or gesture to switch from a first mode inwhich data is not exchanged with a peer device to a second mode in whichdata is exchanged.

The device may comprise a memory storing product codes and product coderecommendations, and a product code reader for reading a product codefrom a product. The processor may configured to obtain a productrecommendation for a read product code and said indicator is configuredto generate a visual, audio or other sensory indication of the obtainedproduct recommendation. The product code reader may be a barcodescanner.

The wearable device may be a smartphone.

According to a yet further aspect of the present invention there isprovided a system for allowing a user to compare data, associated withhis or her personal biology, with a peer user. The system comprises awearable device according to the above first aspect of the invention anda computer device in wireless communication with said wearable device,the computer device allowing the user to select the data on which thematch is to be carried out from a set of data stored in the memory ofthe wearable device. The wearable device may be a wrist-worn device andthe computer device may be a smartphone.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided acomputer-implemented method of comparing data associated with personalbiologies of respective users stored on respective wearable devices. Themethod comprises detecting by the wearable devices that the wearabledevices are within a predefined distance of each other or in contactwith each other and, in response to said detection, exchanging said databetween the devices via a wireless interface. The method furthercomprises comparing the data of the users at one or both of the devicesto determine whether or not the data matches, and operating an indicatorat one or both of the devices to provide a visual, audio or othersensory indication of a match when the data is determined to match.

The method may comprise providing individual selection or deselectioncontrol of categories of biological information to be shared with othersthrough external computer devices such as smartphones in communicationwith said wearable devices.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provideda method of allowing users to remotely compare their genetic traits. Themethod comprises: storing first information relating to a first user'sgenetic traits in a computer memory of a wrist worn device computerdevice; transmitting said first information from the wrist worn computerdevice to a further computer device via a short range wireless dataconnection; further transmitting said first information to a networkserver and/or to a second user's computer device; at said network serveror said second user's computer device, comparing said first informationagainst second information relating to said second user's genetic traitsto determine an extent to which they match; and transmitting from saidnetwork server or said second user's computer device data indicatingsaid extent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a pair of users exchanging personalbiological information using wearable devices;

FIG. 2 is a schematic system view of the wearable device of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram further illustrating how the wearabledevices of FIG. 1 can be used to exchange personal biologicalinformation;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user interface fordisplaying a user's biological information; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method forming a connectionbetween two users of a social network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments described here aim to address the problems describedabove by allowing users to compare their personal biological informationin a way which is convenient and secure. This personal biological datais typically data derived from a person's biology, e.g. genetic traits.The personal biological information is stored on a wearable device whichcomprises a transmitter and receiver for transferring the biologicaldata from between wearable devices when they are brought close to or incontact with one another. After the biological data has been exchanged,the wearable device compares the two sets of data to determine aspectsof the data which are common to both users and/or the differencesbetween the two sets of data. Performing the comparison at the wearabledevice helps ensure that the process is quick and reliable, e.g. becausecommunication with a remote server is not required. This does notpreclude of course the involvement of a remote server (e.g. in the“cloud”). The results of the comparison are then presented to the users.For example, although a pair of friends/users may each know that theythemselves have gluten intolerance, they may otherwise be unaware thattheir friend has the same intolerance. Conversely, one user may have apredisposition which requires them to abstain from eating too much redmeat, whereas another user may be predisposed to anaemia, requiring themto eat an iron/meat rich diet. Comparisons based on the biologicalinformation of the two users may therefore encourage them discuss how tobest manage a particular condition or to decide on a meal they can shareor a restaurant which is appropriate for them both.

Allowing users to “share and compare” their biological information witha simple cooperative gesture provides a playful and social dimension towhat might otherwise seem to the users to be a fairly abstract exercise.For example, when there is a “match” for the biological information oftwo users then the social connection between those users may bereinforced, or the process of making the comparison may act as an“icebreaker” for further interactions and discussions between the twousers. Furthermore, these social aspects may encourage the users to havea greater awareness of their biological identities and lead or “nudge”them towards making better health and lifestyle decisions.

The personal biological data that is compared is not limited to datarelating to nutrition but can extend to any characteristics that arederived from personal biological data. For example, data that iscompared may relate to skincare and cosmetics/cosmeceuticals,fitness/activity, smoking, alcohol, etc.

The personal biological information of a user may comprise personalgenetic or epigenetic data or proteomic data, obtained by an analysis ofa biological sample (e.g. a mouth swab) provided by the user. Forexample, the biological sample can be analysed using primers, strands ofshort nucleic acid sequences that serve as a starting point for DNAsynthesis. As is known in the prior art, such primers can be used in thedetection of genetic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and moreparticularly to determine the variation type (or allele) of a testedindividual for a given SNP. Alternatively, or additionally, the personalbiological information may comprise information related to themicrobiome of the user, such as the presence or absence of certain gutbacteria (e.g. Helicobacter pylori). Such microbiome data may beobtained by breath testing. The personal biological information may alsocomprise information about a physiological property of the user (such asthe current or historic heart rate of the user), which in some cases,may be obtained by a sensing device incorporated in the wearable device.

The personal biological information may also be derived from one or moreof the above types of data. For example, the personal biological datamay comprise recommendations for certain products or services, orclasses of product or services, which an analysis of the above types ofdata has revealed are particularly suitable for the user or that shouldbe avoided by the user. These recommendations may be derived frombiological filter codes which map to respective products or services orcategories of products or services but do not explicitly identify auser's genetic or biological information. For example, there may be abiological filter code which indicates that a user is likely to be moreadversely affected (because of his or her genetic traits) by foods withhigh cholesterol. In this case, by comparing the biological filter codes(or the biological information used to derive the filter codes), usersare able to be see whether they are likely to be recommended similarproducts or services. This may encourage greater interaction anddiscussion between the users and may give rise to a positive “synergy”in which the users are more likely to take notice of the productrecommendations and/or more likely to compare their biological data.

FIG. 1 illustrates two users exchanging personal biological informationusing wrist-worn wearable devices 100, 102. In the example shown in thefigure, the expanding curved lines indicate that information is beingtransmitted from one device 100 and received by the other device 102. Inthis case, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol is used to exchange thebiological information, although other protocols designed for datatransmission over relatively short distances, such as a near-fieldcommunication (NFC) protocol may be used. When an NFC protocol is used,the devices are typically required to be brought within about 5 cm ofeach other in order to establish a communication channel between them.ISP 1507 (NFC & ANT BLE) module based on Nordic Semiconductor nRF52 chipis used and it is integrated with Cortex M4 CPU, flash, RAM memory andoptimised antenna. The range at which a “connection” is established maybe (user) configurable.

Transmitting the personal biological information over only a short rangemeans that the users are required to bring their devices into relativelyclose proximity. This re-assures the users that their data will not beintercepted by third-parties (introducing a high degree of privacy) andadds a social element to the process of exchanging the biologicalinformation which is similar to shaking hands, for example. In someexamples, the wearable devices may be required to come into contact (orbe “tapped” one against the other) in order for the exchange of data totake place or to initiate the exchange. The biological information mayalso be exchanged in encrypted form. For example, biological informationmay be encrypted using a public key associated with the intendedrecipient and then decrypted using the corresponding private key storedon the recipient's wearable device. The recipient's wearable device mayalso store the received biological information for only a short time(e.g. less than 30 s) or no longer than is necessary for performing thecomparison.

FIG. 2 is a schematic system view of the wearable devices 100, 102 ofFIG. 1 . Each wearable device 100, 102 comprises a gesture sensor fortriggering the mode for exchanging data, a receiver 202 for receivingdata 204, and a transmitter 206 for transmitting data 208, according toa wireless communication protocol as discussed above. The gesturesensor, the receiver 202 and the transmitter 206 communicate with aprocessor 210 which is connected to a memory 212 which contains thepersonal biological information 214 of the user associated with thewearable device 100, 102. In use, the processor 210 retrieves thepersonal biological information 214 from the memory 212 and transmits itusing the transmitter 206. Personal biological information 214 receivedby receiver 202 can also be stored in memory 212, allowing the processor210 to compare the received information 214 with the information 214 ofthe user.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating how the wearable devices 100,102 (which are designated in the figure as “Band 1” and “Band 2”) can beused to exchange personal biological information. In steps 300 and 300′the respective wearers of the bands perform an action to put the deviceinto a “matching mode”. In this example, a “double tap” gesture is used,with the gesture being detected by, for example, anaccelerometer/gyroscope (MPU-6050 combining a 3-axis gyroscope and a3-axis accelerometer) in the wearable device, though of course othergestures or modes of user input, such as a button or a touch screen, canalso be used. Each device may stay in the matching mode for somepre-defined period of time, e.g. 10-15 seconds, after which the matchingmode is switched off.

In steps 301 and 301′ the devices scan for other devices whilesimultaneously advertising that they are available for matching. Insteps 302 and 302′, the respective devices wait until they have foundanother device in the matching mode. A relative received signal strengthindication (RSSI) is measured by each device (steps 303 and 303′). Themeasured RSSI values are an indication of the power level of the signalbeing received by each device from the other. Typically, RSSI values maybe provided according to a negative scale starting at −100 and ending at0, with RSSI values closer to 0 indicating stronger received signals.Other scales for measuring the received signal strength can also beused, for example, decibels referenced to one milliwatt (dBm) or areceived channel power indicator (RCPI) scale, which is part of the IEEE802.11 standard. If the RSSI values exceed a certain value (e.g.RSSI>−80 or a received signal strength of −80 dBm), then the devices mayconnect to each other in order to exchange biological information (steps304 and 304′). In example shown in the figure, the transfer (exchange)of biological information is unidirectional between the devices.

One of the devices (here, Band 1) receives the personal biological datafrom Band 2. Band 1 then compares the received biological informationwith the biological information stored in its memory and then transmitsthe result(s) of the comparison to the other device (steps 305 and 305′)such that both bands now know the result. The comparison of the personalbiological information of the users may be carried out in different waysdepending on what type of information is exchanged. For example, if theinformation relates to particular genes, SNPs or DNA sequences, then thecomparison may involve determining whether those genes, SNPs or DNAsequences are common to both users. Similarly, if the personalbiological information comprises a set of biological filter codes foreach user then these sets can be compared to see if there is anyoverlap. The comparison may also involve determining the probabilitythat the users have a particular characteristic in common in order toprovide the users with a measure of how likely or rare it is they sharethat characteristic.

The results of the comparison may be presented to each user by, forexample, illuminating a light-emitting diode (LED) (steps 306 and 306′),e.g. a green colour for the LED may indicate that there is a matchbetween the two users' biological information, whilst a red colour mayindicate no match. Other means for presenting the results of thecomparison to the users may also be used, such as a display, a hapticdevice to apply a force or vibration to the wearer of the band, or anaudible alarm or voice synthesizer. In an embodiment, each band storesthe result temporarily in its RAM memory whilst displaying the result.After the elapse of some short period of time, e.g. 10 seconds, theindication is turned off and the result deleted from the memories ofboth bands.

The wearable device is likely to have limited means for accepting userinputs. The device may therefore be able to communicate with an externalcomputer device such as a smartphone, e.g. using a Bluetooth interface.The smartphone may be configured with an app that allows the user tocontrol settings on the wearable device. FIG. 4 illustrates a graphicaluser interface 400 that is provided on a smartphone display, via aninstalled app, for displaying information associated with a user'spersonal biological information. In this example, the personalbiological information comprises numerical scores for categories such“Calorie sensitivity” or “Fat sensitivity”. The numerical scores aremapped to user friendly text descriptions such as “Very High”, “High”,“Med”, “Low” or “Slow” for presentation in the user interface. Thedifferent categories are presented as graphical user elements 401. Insome implementations, the user may select or deselect the graphical userelements individually in order to control whether the biologicalinformation associated with that category should be shared with otherusers and/or used when comparing the users' biological information. InFIG. 4 for example, the user has selected four panels for sharing,namely “Caffeine Metabolism”, “Calorie Sensitivity”, “CarbohydrateSensitivity”, and “Fat Sensitivity (shown with selection in the Figure).Such control may be useful for users to avoid revealing, either directlyor indirectly, information which they would rather remain private.Comparison of two users' biological information may comprise comparingthe numerical scores in each of the categories to determine whether ornot any of the scores either match or are approximately the same, i.e.differ by only a small relative or absolute amount. Alternatively,weighted differences of the scores can be used to define a similaritymetric indicating how “alike” the users are.

In the case that two peer users have selected categories for matchingthat are different, this may be indicated by illuminating a third colourof LED, e.g. white, in order to indicate to the users that no matchingis possible and that they should consider selecting differentcategories.

The wearable device may also report back the results of comparisons tothe user's smartphone. If the identity of a peer user is known, thiscould allow results to be logged at the smartphone/app. Based on theresults of a comparison, users might then be able to share via theirsmartphone information regarding purchased products, fitness, etc. Inother words, the ability to compare biological related information canform a basis of many different social networking opportunities.

Although not described here in detail, it is possible that bands may beprovided with product code readers to allow the bands to read productcodes from products being considered for purchase or consumption. Suchreaders may be barcode scanners and may allow users to obtain productrecommendations based upon product data stored in the bands.

It is of course possible that only one of two peer users may have aband, with the other only having a smartphone. In this case, there maybe an option in the smartphone app to display a code such as a barcodeon the phone's GUI which identifies the user's personal biological data.A peer user having a band can then scan that code using the band'sproduct code reader and perform the comparison described above. Ofcourse, in this case the result may only be displayed on the band, butthat may be adequate as both users can see the result.

The above described embodiments and examples have focused on exchangingpersonal biological information using peer wearable devices 100, 102that are in close proximity to one another, e.g. using a short-rangecommunication protocol, such as BLE. However, personal biologicalinformation may alternatively be exchanged in without requiring thewearable devices 100, 102 to be in the same geographic location. Forexample, a user may want to compare his or her product recommendationsand/or biological information with a user who is located in another cityor country. One way in which this can be done is via a social networkingplatform, in which one of the users sends a request (often referred toas a “friend” request) to the other user to establish a connection (i.e.association or “edge”) within the social network (social graph). Theother user can then accept or reject the request depending on whether heor she wishes to be connected to the other user within the socialnetwork. If the request is accepted, the users are granted permission toview data (e.g. personal biological information and/or productrecommendations) associated with the other user and/or to interact withone another, e.g. by sending each other messages or communicating via achat room interface.

In some cases, two users may become connected to each other in thesocial network in response to having exchanged personal biologicalinformation with one another using their wrist-worn wearable devices100, 102. In this case, each wearable device may transfer a useridentifier to the other wearable device, which is then stored at thewearable device. The user identifier may be a unique identifier that isspecific to the wearable device and/or the user. The user identifier maybe based in part on the user's personal biological information. When theuser connects or “syncs” the wearable device 100, 102 to a networkedcomputer device, such as the user's smartphone, the wearable devicetransmits the user identifier to the networked computer device, which inturn transmits the user identifier to a server 505 (or servers) formingpart of a data network such as the internet, the server(s) beingassociated with the social network. The users may then be connected toone another in the social network automatically, e.g. by the server(s)updating a database to indicate that the users are connected to oneanother. Alternatively, in response to receiving the user identifiers,the server(s) of the social network may send a friend request to one orboth of the users to allow the user(s) to decide whether to form aconnection.

In conventional social networking applications, a user may accept orgrant a friend request by interacting with a control element of agraphical user interface, e.g. by using a mouse or touchscreen to clicka button on a web interface. Such a mechanism is generally appropriatewhen the users plan to share personal information that they do notbelieve is particularly sensitive or that has already be made public.However, users who are very active in a particular social network, orwho are members of a multiple social networks, may receive a largenumber of friend requests and therefore become accustomed to acceptingfriend requests without considering what personal data may be madeavailable to other users. This problem may occur, for example, when auser receives multiple friend requests from the same user relating todifferent social networks. In the case of a social network in whichusers can exchange personal biological data, privacy concerns areparamount and users may abandon the social network if there are noeffective safeguards against their personal data being sharedinappropriately.

A solution to these problems is provided by a mechanism for accepting afriend request in which the user responding to the request is requiredto use his or her wearable device 100, 102 to confirm acceptance of thefriend request. For example, the user may receive the request on his orher smartphone (or other computer device), which is provided with anapplication that allows the request to be accepted only after the user'swearable device 100, 102 is connected (or synched) to the smartphone,e.g. using a short-range wireless communications protocol. In somecases, the application may prompt the user to connect the wearabledevice 100, 102 to the smartphone when the friend request is receivedand/or after the user has made a selection to accept the request.

FIG. 5 illustrates the steps of a method for allowing two users tocompare personal biological information when the users are remote fromone another. In the first step 500A, a first user sends a request usinghis or her personal computer device (e.g. smartphone) 501 to connectwith a second user. For example, the user may select or “click” a userinterface control 503 on the device 501 to “Add” the other user as afriend in a social network. The personal computer device 501 transmitsthe request to one or more servers 505 associated with the socialnetwork using a wired or wireless data connection, e.g. a dataconnection to the internet or a mobile telephone data network.

In step 500B, the server(s) 505 transmits an invitation to a personalcomputer device 507 of the second user to invite the second user to forma social network connection with the first user. The invitation istypically presented to the second user via a user interface comprisinguser interface elements 509, 511 that allow the second user to indicatethat he or she wants to either accept or refuse the invitation.

In step 500C, the second user's personal computer device 507 enters amode that allows the second user to confirm acceptance of the invitationusing his or her wearable device 102. For example, the second user maybring his or her wearable device 102 into proximity with the personalcomputer device 507 so that data indicative of the second user'sacceptance can be transmitted from the wearable device 102 to thepersonal computer device 102 using a short-range data connection.Alternatively, the data indicative of the second user's acceptance canbe transmitted to the wearable device 102 using a local area network,such as a Wi-Fi network, to which both devices are connected. The datatransmitted to the wearable device 102 may comprise a user identifierfor the second user and/or the user's biological data, preferably in anencrypted form, as described above.

In some cases, the second user may be required to press a button on thewearable device 102, or to perform a gesture while wearing or holdingthe wearable device 102 in order to put the wearable device 102 into a“matching mode” whereby data can be transmitted to and/or received fromthe user device 102. The wearable device 102 may also use a visual,audible or tactile indicator to indicate to the user that he or she isrequired to confirm acceptance of the invitation using the wearabledevice 102, e.g. by pressing a button on the wearable device 102 orperforming a particular gesture with the wearable device 102.Alternatively, or additionally, the wearable device 1002 may requiresome form of biometric data specific to the user to be provided in orderto accept the invitation, e.g. the camera of the wearable device may beused to record an image of the user's face, which is then processedusing facial recognition software to confirm the identity of the user.

In step 500D, the second user device 597 transmits data indicative ofthe second user's acceptance of the friend request to the one or moreservers 505 associated with the social network. The server(s) 505transmit a request to the first user device 100 asking the user toconfirm acceptance of the social network connection using his or herwearable device 100 (as described above for step 500C). In someexamples, this confirmatory step may be performed by the first user aspart of the first step 500A (or at some later point in time). The firstuser device 501 then transmits the acceptance to the server(s) 505 sothat the social network connection can be formed between the two users.A user interface associated with the social network, e.g. a friend list,may be updated on each of the personal computer devices 501, 507 to showthat the users are connected to one another.

In some implementations, the personal biological data (which may also bereferred to as “digital DNA”) is encrypted and stored locally on each ofthe wearable devices 100, 102. When the second user accepts the firstuser's friend request using his or her personal computer device 507, thesecond user needs to “synch” (i.e. connect) his or her wearable device102 with the personal computer device 507 in order to transfer thesecond user's encrypted biological data to the personal computer device507, e.g. using a Bluetooth connection. This process can be regarded asauthenticating the user prior to the friend request being accepted. Whenthe first user receives the friend acceptance from the second user in anapplication executing on the personal computer device 501, the firstuser needs to “synch” his or her wearable device 100 with the personalcomputer device 501 and transfer the first user's encrypted personalbiological data to the personal computer device 501. The personalbiological data of each user is transmitted between the personalcomputer devices 501, 507 (e.g. via a wireless mobile network or theinternet), either directly between the personal computer device or viathe server(s) 505. The personal biological data can then be compared(i.e. matched) at the server(s) and/or at either or both of the wearabledevices 100, 102. The results of the comparison can then be indicated tothe user using an indicator on the personal computer device 501, 507,such as the display screen of the device, and/or using an indicator ofthe wearable device 100, 102, e.g. using a colour changing LED.

As described above, the comparison of the personal biologicalinformation of the users may be carried out in different ways dependingon what type of information is provided or exchanged by the users. Forexample, the personal biological information of each user may compriseinformation indicative of the user having one or more genetic traits orcharacteristics, e.g. whether the user has a particular gene, SNP or DNAsequence. The personal biological information may be encoded as one ormore Boolean variables (e.g. one for each genetic trait), in which casea pairwise comparison between the variables is performed and the numberof matching variables is then converted into a score. The personalbiological information of the users is defined as matching “overall” ifthe score exceeds a predefined threshold, e.g. whether more than 70% ofthe compared variables match. Alternatively, the personal biologicalinformation may be encoded in the form of a probability or ratingderived from how likely the user is to express a particular genetictrait or characteristic. In this case, the comparison is performed bydetermining whether the difference between the corresponding ratings foreach genetic trait, or the whether the relative ratio of thecorresponding ratings for each genetic trait, is less than a predefinedthreshold. For example, although the users may have respective scoresfor “Salt Sensitivity” of 50/100 and 60/100, the scores may neverthelessbe determined to match because they differ by only 10 points. In somecases, each genetic trait is associated with a different predefinedthreshold. Preferably, each threshold is derived from the variance ofthe scores for each trait within the population of users to ensure thatmatches for each trait are not too rare or too frequent.

The results of comparing the users' personal biological data can bedisplayed using a graphical user interface on the personal computerdevices 505, 507, e.g. as part of a dedicated application or “app”. Forexample, the user interface can be similar to that shown in FIG. 4 ,with a collection of panels associated with each of the various genetictraits (“Caffeine Metabolism”, “Carbohydrate Sensitivity” etc.). Each ofthe panels is modified depending on whether the two users match for theassociated genetic trait, e.g. to visually de-activate or “grey out” thepanel when the associated genetic trait is present in one user but notthe other. The graphical user interface (or another similar interface)also provides users with the option of choosing which of their genetictraits they which to compare. In some cases, the user may be asked toselect which traits he or she wishes as part of the process of creatingor accepting an invitation to compare genetic traits with another user.Alternatively or additionally, the user may be able to set “global”privacy settings that prevent some or all of his or her genetic traitsfrom being shared with other users, or conversely, allow certain traitsto be always available for comparison with other users' genetic traits.

The one or more servers 505 may act as an “escrow” service in which thepersonal biological data of a user is only made available to anotheruser if that other user has made his or her personal biological dataavailable for sharing with the user. This service may be implemented bythe one or more servers encrypting the biological data of a user beforethe data is transmitted to a wearable device 100, 102. The decryptionkey is then only provided to the wearable device 100, 102 once theserver(s) 505 has received the other user's biological data from thewearable device 100, 102.

The above method 500A-D requires each user to perform actions that aresimilar to the “in-person” methods described above for comparingbiological data using the peer wearable devices 100, 102, except thatthe short-range connection is to the user's personal computing device(e.g. smartphone), rather than directly to the other user's wearabledevice 100, 102. From the user's perspective, the requirement that theuser must respond using the wearable device 100, 102 helps reassure theuser that he or she is in control of when the biological data is sharedwith another user.

Considering the social network discussed above, a user who is not amember of the social network may be added as a member of a socialnetwork, or invited to join the social network, in response to his orher wearable device 100, 102 being brought into proximity with thewearable device 100, 102 of another user who is already a member of thesocial network. In some cases, the users may only join or only beinvited to join the social network if they have matched (or possiblymerely attempted to match) with a user who is already a member of thesocial network. In other cases, both users may be added to the socialnetwork even if neither of them is already a member. The social networkmay be configured to add the users as “friends” in response to a matchbeing obtained, i.e. a link or “edge” is created in the network to jointhe users. The social network may also be configured to allow a user tocompare their data with users who are friends of their friends withoutrequiring “in-person” matching using their wearable devices 100, 102,i.e. a user may match with other users who are twice removed from themin the social network. This matching may involve the user inviting theother user to match and the other user accepting the invitation usingthe process described above.

The wearable devices 100, 102 may use end-to-end encryption to ensurethat the biological information is not accessible to third parties. Forexample, an end-to-end encryption scheme based on public and privatekeys can be used in which each of the wearable devices 100, 102 isassociated with a unique public encryption key that can be transmittedto the other user, e.g. by inclusion in the invitation to comparebiological data or in a friend request. The public key is used by thewearable device 102 (or possibly by the personal computer device 507) toencrypt the biological information prior to transmission to the servers505. When the encrypted biological information is received at the otherwearable device 100, it is decrypted using a private key thatcorresponds to the public key. Preferably, the private key is storedsecurely on the wearable device 100 so that no other device is able todecrypt information that has been encrypted using the correspondingpublic key. The wearable device may store the received encrypted data(and/or the decrypted data) for only a short time (e.g. less than 30 s)or no longer than is necessary for performing the comparison. In somesystems, the system may be configured to ensure that no copy of a user'sbiological information may be stored outside the user's wearable device100, 102 for more than a predetermined period.

As mentioned above, the personal biological data stored on of thewearable device 100, 102 can be used as a way of authenticating the userprior to an operation being performed by a computer system such as apersonal computer device 501, 507. More generally, a user of a computersystem can be authenticated using a cryptographic “shared secret”derived from the personal biological information. The secret can bederived by applying a cryptographic hash function, e.g. a Secure HashAlgorithm (e.g. SHA-256), to the personal biological data, such that thepersonal biological data cannot be recovered from the secret.

Generation of the secret can be done by the one or more servers 505using a stored copy of the personal biological data. The secret is thentransmitted to the mobile device 501, 507 and the wearable device 100,102 using a secure communications channel, e.g. a secure shell (SSH)connection, or by encrypting the secret using a public encryption keyobtained from a trusted third-party (e.g. a certificate authority). Thecopy of the personal biological data may be deleted from the server(s)505 after the secret has been generated, e.g. so that the only copy ofthe personal biological data is stored at the wearable device 100, 102and/or the personal computer device 501, 507.

Alternatively, the secret can be generated by the personal computerdevice 501, 507 and then sent from the personal computer device 501, 507to the wearable device 100, 102 over a secure communications channel,e.g. an SSH connection or a wired connection between the two devices.The copy of the personal biological data used to generate the secret maybe deleted from the personal computer device 501, 507 after the secrethas been generated. As a further alternative, the wearable device 100,102 may generate the secret and then share it with the personal computerdevice 501, 507 over a secure communications channel. An advantage ofthis approach is that it allows the personal biological data to be usedfor authentication without the personal biological data itself everneeding to be transmitted to the personal computer device 501, 507.

To authenticate the user, a challenge-response protocol can used inwhich the personal computer device 501, 507 sends the wearable device100, 102 a challenge request for which the correct response can only begenerated using the shared secret. For example, the wearable device 100,102 may receive cryptographic nonce (e.g. a (pseudo)random number) fromthe personal computer device 501, 507 and respond with a hash obtainedby applying a cryptographic hash function to a combination of the nonceand shared secret. The personal computer device 501, 507 generates a“local” hash in the same way as the wearable device 100, 102. Thepersonal computer device 100, 102 then authenticates the user byverifying that the received hash matches the local hash. It will beappreciated that this method of authenticating users based on personalbiological data stored on a wearable device can be carried out usingdevices other than the wearable device 100, 102 or the personal computerdevices 501, 505 described above. In other examples, the wearable devicemay be a smartphone, smartwatch, or an item of smart clothing, or animplanted device. Similarly, in some examples, the computer systemrequiring user authentication may be an automatic teller machine, anelectronic (e.g. “keyless”) lock, a computer system for online banking,an elevator control system or a vehicle ignition system.

The personal biological information used to generate the shared secretmay comprise data indicative of the user having a particular DNAsequence or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), although other dataderived from such genetic data can also be used, such as scoresindicative of the user's genetic traits. Optionally, the personalbiological information may be stored only at the wearable device 100,102, such that if the wearable device is lost or damaged the user can nolonger be authenticated by the computer system (i.e. personal computerdevice 501, 507 in the example discussed above). When this happens, theshared secret can be re-generated from personal biological data obtainedby performing another test (e.g. genetic test) on a biological sampleprovided by the user. It is preferable that the shared secret is derivedfrom genetic information as, unlike other forms of biometric data (suchas retinal or fingerprint data), as generally speaking, a user'sgenotype does not change over time (e.g. as the user ages).

Although the embodiments and examples described above have focused oncomparing users' genetic traits, the wearable devices 100, 102 can alsobe used for comparing users' physiological and/or biochemical dataand/or data indicative of the users' environment. This data is recordedby one or more sensors of the wearable device 100, 102, such as one ormore of the following: pulse rate sensors (e.g photoplethysmography(PPG) sensors; respiration rate sensors; heart rate sensors (also formeasuring heart rate variability); blood pressure sensors; microneedlesfor performing in situ blood tests (e.g. of blood glucose levels); airquality or pollution sensors (e.g. mass spectrometers); and UV lightmonitors (e.g. photo-diodes). User environmental data may alternatively(or additionally) be obtained by tracking the user's position (e.g.using a global positioning system, GPS, sensor) and using pollution orUV index map data to estimate the user's exposure.

The wearable device 100, 102 stores measurements provided by thesensor(s) along with a timestamp so that users can compare time seriesdata. For example, users may compare how their respective heart ratesvaried over the course of a physical activity, such as a marathon orcycling race. In some cases, the wearable device 100, 102 integrates thesensor data over time to produce one or more values that can be comparedby the users. For example, users who are diabetic can compare how longthey were each in a hypoglycaemic state over the past day, week ormonth, so that they can compare how effectively they each manage theirblood-glucose levels. The integrated sensor data may also be used tocompare the users' exposure to environmental conditions such as UV lightand/or atmospheric pollution (e.g. NOx or particulates).

The physiological, biochemical and/or environmental data can be comparedby the wearable devices 100, 102 being brought into contact or closeproximity with one another, or using the “remote matching” procedure, asdescribed above. As for genetic traits, the users may select one or morecategories of data (such as resting pulse rate, respiration rate, numberof steps walked, exposure to pollutants etc) using a user interfaceprovided on the wearable device 100, 102 of the personal computer device501, 507, e.g. using a smartphone user interface similar to theinterface shown in FIG. 4 .

Users who are connected to one another within a social network (e.g. asocial network populated by user's matching their genetic traits withone another) may also use the social network to compare their data on anongoing basis. For example, the users' data can be stored by serversassociated with the social network to allow users to compare historicaldata with one another and/or data that is updated dynamically. A usersmay identify another user of the social network using a search tool,e.g. to lookup the user by name or nickname.

Optionally, the sensors for monitoring physiological and/or biochemicaldata may be separate from the wearable device 100, 102 so that thesensors can be worn on a different part of the body from the wearabledevice. Processing of the sensor data may take place either on thewearable device 100, 102 or on the personal computer device 501, 507,after it has been transmitted to the personal computer device using awired or wireless connection.

The users' physiological, biochemical and/or environmental data may becompared separately from or in combination with the users' dataindicative of one or more genetic traits. For example, a user may set(or be set by another user) a target or goal which is determined by theuser's genetic traits, such as to achieve a lower resting heart rate (asmeasured by the wearable device 100, 102) as a result of physicaltraining if the user has a genetic trait associated with hypertension.Two users may each set a goal for one another and each user's progresstowards the goal can be compared at intervals, e.g. daily or weekly.

In a preferred embodiment, the physiological, biochemical and/orenvironmental data is used to modulate product recommendations. Theproduct recommendations are typically derived from the user's genetictraits, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,043,590B2 (for example). In oneexemplary use case, a product that contains vitamin D may be recommendedfor a user who is predisposed to needing high levels of vitamin D if theuser has not been exposed to enough UV light. Users may compare thenumber of product recommendations that have been modulated based onphysiological, biochemical and/or environmental data. Comparisons can bemade for different categories of product, e.g. the number of productrecommendations for products containing saturated or unsaturated fatsthat have been modulated can be compared, which may be of particularinterest to users whose genetic traits indicate that they aresusceptible to high cholesterol levels.

The modulation of product recommendations provides a “behaviouralfeedback loop” that helps nudge or encourage/discourage use of certainuser behaviour, such as consuming certain products and/or performingcertain types of activity. The social experience of comparing data withother users typically has a substantial effect on helping users tochange their behaviour. For example, users may support one another asthey each try to adjust their behaviour to meet certain goals, such asexercising more to ensure such that the number of modulated productrecommendations falls below a threshold number. In this case, thewearable device 100, 102 is typically configured as a state machine thattransitions between a “green” (healthy) state in which the number ofproduct recommendations is below a threshold number, and an “amber”state in which more than a threshold number of product recommendationshave been modulated as a result of the user's behaviour. The wearabledevice 100, 102 records the amount of time spent in either state (e.g.over the course of a day) so that users are able to compare howeffectively they are each managing their behaviour/lifestyle.

Users may also compete with (or challenge) one another to achieve apre-agreed goal, e.g. to determine which user has a smaller number ofmodulated product recommendations over the course of a week (or otherperiod). The targets or goals may be derived from the user's genetictraits to maximise the health benefits for each user and/or to ensure afair comparison between users with different genetic traits. Rewards orincentives are provided to users in the form of digital trophies orbadges associated with an online profile or by offering productdiscounts to the users (e.g. online discount codes). An indicator on thewearable device 100, 102 can be used to inform the user when anotheruser takes the lead in achieving a particular target. Users may also besponsored to meet certain goals, e.g. to raise money for a cause orcharity that helps with health problems related to a particular genetictrait. Users may also be invited to join one or more online communitiesor chatrooms depending on their behaviour and/or genetic traits, e.g. sothat users can support one another in meeting particular exercise goalsor in reducing the amount of particular types of food or drink theyconsume (with the types of product being determined by the users'genetic traits).

In another preferred embodiment, users are able to match their genetictraits and/or behaviours, as indicated by their physiological,biochemical and/or environmental data, with one or more “virtualprofiles” that are associated with users who have given their consentfor their genetic traits and/or behavioural data to be compared withother users. In this case, the comparison is “one sided” and usersmaking the comparison are not required to send their data from theirwearable device 100, 102 in order to find out whether their data matchesthat of the virtual profile, i.e. the wearable device 100, 102 of theuser associated with the virtual profile is not involved in thecomparison. The virtual profile typically comprises genetic traits andbehavioural data uploaded from a wearable device 100, 102 worn by a realuser, who may be an athlete, sportsperson or a well-known public figure.However, in some cases, the physiological, biochemical and/orenvironmental data included in the virtual profile may be generatedcomputationally to provide users with a “virtual pacemaker” whosebehaviour they can seek to emulate.

It will be appreciated by the person of skill in the art that variousmodifications may be made to the above described embodiments withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. For example, asmentioned above, in some cases, only one of two peer users may have awearable device 100, 102 (i.e. band), with the other only having asmartphone.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for improving the health of agroup of first users, each first user having a wearable device, themethod comprising: at respective wearable devices, storing user profilesindicative of first users' genetic traits and obtained by an analysis ofrespective biological samples provided by the first users; at one ormore network servers, storing respective virtual profiles for aplurality of second users indicative of those second users' genetictraits; on request by one of said first users, performing a comparisonbetween that user's profile and a profile of one of said second users todetermine whether there is a match between the first and second users'genetic traits; and providing a visual, audio or other sensoryindication of the result by means of an indicator at the wearable deviceof the requesting first user.
 2. A method according to claim 1, whereinsaid genetic traits are nutrition and/or skin related genetic traits. 3.A method according to claim 1, wherein said wearable device is a wristworn device arranged to communicate with said one or more networkservers via a smartphone of the associated user.
 4. A method accordingto claim 1 and comprising enabling said first user making said requestto select the data on which the match is to be carried out from a set ofdata stored in the memory of the wearable device.
 5. A method accordingto claim 1, wherein the wearable devices store user activity dataindicative of one or more physiological and/or biochemical functions ofthe respective first users, or indicative of a user environment, themethod further comprising, in response to determining that there is amatch between the first and second users' one or more genetic traits,comparing the user activity data of the first wearable device with useractivity data of the second user to determine whether there is a matchbetween the first and second users' behaviours as indicated by therespective data.
 6. A wearable device comprising: a memory storing dataindicative of a first user's genetic traits and obtained by an analysisof a biological sample provided by the first user; a short-rangewireless transceiver for receiving, from a computer device, dataindicative of genetic traits of a second user; a processor for comparingreceived data with the data stored in the memory in order to determinewhether or not there is a match between the first and second users'genetic traits; and an indicator for generating a visual, audio or othersensory indication of the result.
 7. A wearable device according toclaim 6, wherein said genetic traits are nutrition and/or skin relatedgenetic traits.
 8. A wearable device according to claim 6, wherein saidindicator is configured to generate a visual, audio or other sensoryindication of a non-match when the data does not match.
 9. A wearabledevice according to claim 6, wherein said data indicative of the firstor second user's nutrition and/or skin-related genetic traits comprisesone or more scores, each of the one or more scores indicating whetherthe user is predisposed to or has an associated personal behaviour orcondition.
 10. A wearable device according to claim 6, wherein thewearable device is a wrist-worn device.
 11. A wearable device accordingto claim 6, the wearable device being a smartphone.
 12. Acomputer-implemented method of comparing one or more genetic traits of afirst user with one or more genetic traits of a second user, the firstuser having a wearable device storing data indicative of the one or moregenetic traits, the data having been obtained by an analysis of abiological sample provided by the first user, the method comprising:transmitting data indicative of the one or more genetic traits of thesecond user from a computer device to the wearable device over ashort-range wireless data connection; and comparing the received datawith the data stored on the wearable device to determine whether thereis a match between the users' one or more genetic traits.
 13. Acomputer-implemented method according to claim 12, wherein said genetictraits are nutrition and/or skin related genetic traits.
 14. Acomputer-implemented method according to claim 12, further comprisingoperating an indicator at the wearable device and/or the computer deviceto provide a visual, audio or other sensory indication of the result.15. A computer-implemented method according to claim 12, wherein thewearable device is a wrist-worn device and/or the computer device is aportable computer device, preferably a smartphone.
 16. Acomputer-implemented method according to claim 12, further comprising,at the computer device or wearable device, receiving a user selectionfrom the first user of which one or more genetic traits are to becompared.
 17. A computer-implemented method according to claim 12,wherein the wearable device stores user activity data indicative of oneor more physiological and/or biochemical functions of the first user, orindicative of a user environment, the method further comprising, inresponse to determining that there is a match between the first andsecond users' one or more genetic traits, comparing the user activitydata of the first wearable device with user activity data of the seconduser to determine whether there is a match between the first and secondusers' behaviours as indicated by the respective data.